Valdosta State University and North Florida Community College have established a new educational partnership designed to better serve currently enrolled and future students at both institutions of higher education.
 
Dr. Cecil P. Staton, interim president of Valdosta State University, and John Grosskopf, president of North Florida Community College, signed the 2+2 Transfer Admission Guarantee on Wednesday, May 4. During the brief ceremony the two leaders solidified their commitment to improving access to top-quality post-secondary educational opportunities for North Florida residents.  
 
“We are thrilled to be able to offer a clear, seamless path for North Florida Community College graduates who wish to further their education and pursue a bachelor’s degree at Valdosta State University,” Staton said. “Higher education has never been more important in Georgia, Florida, and across the United States. We are seeing a growing demand for citizens who are capable of more sophisticated, critical thinking and who possess problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Our faculty and staff are in the business of nurturing the next generation of thinkers, innovators, communicators, leaders, and more, and we look forward to welcoming our North Florida friends into our Blazer Nation family for many years to come.”
 
Provided they meet all necessary requirements, the 2+2 Transfer Admission Guarantee will guarantee North Florida Community College graduates with an Associate of Arts degree admission to VSU and allow them to transfer up to 60 core credit hours — or two full years of coursework — towards a bachelor’s degree. They will pay in-state tuition, an opportunity that is available to all Florida residents whose applications for admission are accepted.
 
With the 2+2 Transfer Admission Guarantee, North Florida Community College graduates with an Associate of Arts degree will have full access to the more than 100 degree, certificate, and endorsement programs offered at VSU, both on campus and online, provided they meet the specific requirements of their desired programs of study. They will also be able to take advantage of a full menu of extracurricular activities, from national championship baseball, football, softball, tennis, and even debate, teams to honors organizations, sororities and fraternities, intramural sports, academic and service clubs, a symphony orchestra, art and theatre, research opportunities, and more. They will even have opportunities to file patents on inventions and make life-changing scientific discoveries, present at national and international conferences, publish research in collaboration with their professors, work in campus-based clinics that benefit the community, live and learn at partner institutions around the globe through study abroad — the possibilities are endless.
 
“North Florida Community College is very excited about this partnership with Valdosta State University and the expanded opportunities it provides to our students and district,” Grosskopf said. “As always, student success is our top priority, and we know that VSU shares that same focus. We appreciate VSU opening new avenues for North Florida Community College graduates to move forward, and we are committed to making sure our graduates are well prepared to step into those university level programs.”
 
North Florida Community College students interested in taking advantage of this educational option are encouraged to declare their intent to utilize the 2+2 Transfer Admission Guarantee as early in their academic career as possible. This will save them time, money, and confusion; allow them to finish their degrees as efficiently as possible; and give them earlier access to VSU faculty and advisors.
 
Dr. Joseph Weaver, director of Off-Campus Programs at VSU, said that the 2+2 Transfer Admission Guarantee continues a long-standing, close cooperation between VSU and North Florida Community College.
 
Just two years ago the two institutions signed a Pathways Program agreement that allows North Florida Community College students with an Associate of Science degree to maximize the transfer of credits in order to complete either a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership or a Bachelor of Applied Science in human capital performance in two years or less at VSU. Students with Associate of Science degrees in business related fields also have the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Science in office administration and technology.